BREAKING NEWS

STREET CLOSURES ANNOUNCED FOR PUERTO RICAN DAY PARADE AND FESTIVAL

NEWARK - Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose has announced the following street closures for the Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival to be held 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday, September 15, 2019.

The parade review stand will be located at Bloomfield Avenue between Ridge Street and Parker Street. Parade begins at 1 p.m. at Bloomfield Avenue and Broadway and will be followed by the festival, held at Bloomfield Avenue, between Lake Street and Clifton Avenue. Festival concludes at 10 p.m.

Due to the traffic congestion resulting from this event, we encourage those traveling in the area to allow for extra time and, if not attending the event, to plan alternate routes.

To report a crime by phone, call: (973) 733-6000 or visit www.newarkpdonline.org. Mobile device users are urged to download the Newark Police Division’s Smartphone App. Users of any of our crime reporting tools may do so anonymously. For emergencies, dial 911.

Note: Water distribution at the Vince Lombardi Center, 201 Bloomfield Ave., will continue on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

FDA WARNS JUUL LABS OVER PRODUCT MARKETING

Agency sends additional letter requesting more information on several issues,

including outreach and marketing practices, as part of ongoing investigation

On Sept. 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to JUUL Labs Inc. for marketing unauthorized modified risk tobacco products by engaging in labeling, advertising, and/or other activities directed to consumers, including a presentation given to youth at a school.

The agency also sent a letter to the company expressing concern, and requesting more information, about several issues raised in a recent Congressional hearing regarding JUUL’s outreach and marketing practices, including those targeted at students, tribes, health insurers and employers. These letters are the latest in a series of actions the agency has taken as part of its continued commitment to providing strong oversight of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and the latest development in the FDA’s ongoing investigation related to JUUL.

“Regardless of where products like e-cigarettes fall on the continuum of tobacco product risk, the law is clear that, before marketing tobacco products for reduced risk, companies must demonstrate with scientific evidence that their specific product does in fact pose less risk or is less harmful. JUUL has ignored the law, and very concerningly, has made some of these statements in school to our nation’s youth,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless, M.D.

“In addition, we’re troubled about several issues related to JUUL’s outreach and marketing practices that came to light in a recent Congressional hearing. We will continue to scrutinize tobacco product marketing and take action as appropriate to ensure that the public is not misled into believing a certain product has been proven less risky or less harmful. We remain committed to using all available tools to ensure that e-cigarettes and other tobacco products aren’t being marketed or sold to kids. We’ve also put the industry on notice: If the disturbing rise in youth e-cigarette use continues, especially through the use of flavors that appeal to kids, we’ll take even more aggressive action.”

As stated in the warning letter, the FDA has determined that JUUL has marketed its products as modified risk tobacco products without an appropriate FDA order in effect. JUUL’s labeling, advertising, and/or other activities directed to consumers represent, or would be reasonably expected to result in consumers believing, that the products 1) present a lower risk of tobacco-related disease or are less harmful than one or more other commercially marketed tobacco products; 2) contain a reduced level of a substance or present a reduced exposure to a substance; and/or 3) do not contain or are free of a substance or substances.

The warning letter identifies several statements, including statements discussed in testimony from a July 2019 Congressional hearing on JUUL. According to that testimony, a JUUL representative speaking with students at his presentation in a school stated that:

· JUUL “was much safer than cigarettes” and that “FDA would approve it any day.”

· JUUL was “totally safe.”

· A student “…should mention JUUL to his [nicotine-addicted] friend…because that’s a safer alternative than smoking cigarettes, and it would be better for the kid to use.”

· “FDA was about to come out and say it [JUUL] was 99% safer than cigarettes…and that…would happen very soon….”

Additionally, a “Letter from the CEO” that appeared on JUUL’s website, and also in an email that JUUL sent to a parent in response to her complaint that the company sold JUUL products to her child, states: “[JUUL’s] simple and convenient system incorporates temperature regulation to heat nicotine liquid and deliver smokers the satisfaction that they want without the combustion and the harm associated with it.”

The FDA has requested that JUUL provide a written response within 15 working days describing its corrective actions and its plan for maintaining compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), including its plan to prevent the same or similar violations. Failure to ensure compliance with FD&C Act may result in the FDA initiating further action, including, but not limited to, civil money penalties, seizure, and/or injunction.

Further, the agency sent an additional letter to JUUL that notes that despite commitments JUUL has made to address this epidemic, JUUL products continue to represent a significant proportion of the overall use of ENDS products by children. Some of this youth use appears to have been a direct result of JUUL’s product design and promotional activities and outreach efforts.

The letter outlines several additional issues of concern, including statements and representations made as part of JUUL’s “Make the Switch” campaign and JUUL’s “Switching Program” presentation to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, such as:

· “‘[JUUL is] a smart, really well thought-out alternative to smoking.’ Make the switch.”

· “I think [JUUL is] an amazing invention…I don’t know how we lived without that. The alternative for adult smokers.”

· “Elimination of combustible cigarettes is crucial to reduce risk of harm”

· “Improve the lives of the world’s one billion adult smokers”

The agency is concerned these statements and representations may convey that switching to JUUL is a safer alternative to cigarettes, in that using JUUL products poses less risk or is less harmful than cigarettes. The FDA is requesting documents and information about these practices, including any and all scientific evidence or data, such as consumer perception studies, related to whether these statements and representations explicitly or implicitly convey that JUUL products pose less risk, are less harmful, present reduced exposure, are safer than other tobacco products or that the products are smoking cessation products.

Also, the FDA is also asking JUUL to explain why it uses nicotine salts, which was described at the Congressional hearing as masking the harshness of nicotine. The agency further asks JUUL why it uses a nicotine concentration of 5% in its products, which the agency is concerned could potentially increase their addictiveness. The FDA is requesting documents and information on, among other things, JUUL’s use of nicotine salts in its e-liquids and the concentration of nicotine in its products.

The FDA has requested that JUUL provide the requested documents and information to the agency within 30 days of the date of the letter.

The agency previously requested documents from JUUL Labs in April 2018 to examine the reportedly high rates of youth use and the youth appeal of JUUL products. The FDA has also conducted an unannounced inspection of JUUL’s corporate headquarters. Additionally, the agency has conducted inspections of several of JUUL’s contract manufacturing facilities to determine compliance with all applicable FDA laws and regulatory requirements.

As part of the agency’s Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan, the FDA continues work on all fronts to tackle the troubling epidemic of youth e-cigarette use through all available regulatory tools. This includes taking action against manufacturers and retailers who illegally market or sell these products to minors, investigating counterfeit e-cigarette products, educating youth about the dangers of e-cigarettes, and implementing the policies necessary to keep them out of the hands of America’s kids.

Separately, the FDA continues to work closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health partners to investigate the recent respiratory illnesses associated with vaping as quickly as possible and the agency is committed to taking appropriate actions as the facts emerge.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

BACK TO SCHOOL 2019

By Walter Elliott

ESSEX - This back-to-school season in the Local Talk area may be summed up in one word: Anticipation.

Students, staff and faculty are looking forward to an assortment of new buildings, new officials and/or new course offerings when they are unveiled on or around Sept. 3.

The Day After Labor Day, which is Sept. 3 this year, used to be the hard and fast area "back to school" day for decades. It would be likened to sports car drivers or drag racers starting their race from a standing start.

Going back to school in recent years, however, is more like a rolling start in Indy car or stock car racing. While several school districts are opening to students as late as Sept. 5. more are starting their year before Labor Day.

Several other districts have held staff and student orientation days the last week in August. Several charter schools have had up to two weeks' instruction underway. Football players and other fall sports student-athletes have been practicing for the bulk of August.

Herewith is a round robin of public, charter and religious schools who have reported key developments leading up to the start of the 2019-20 school year.

Newark Public Schools: The 15 new school principals - with only three coming from outside the state's largest district, have had a month to help faculty and staff prepare for Sept. 3.

Please note, to paraphrase Leon, that "The Barringer Bear has been made whole again." Aviles is principal of what was two separate schools, with two separate principals, in the BHS building the last five years; Barringer STEAM Academy and Barringer Academy of Arts and Humanities. other personnel changes.

All 69 school buildings' unionized teachers will not be getting merit pay for the first time in seven years. NPS and the Newark Teachers Union, on Aug. 7, agreed to abandon the merit pay provision that was in place since Nov. 1, 2012.

NTU became the state's first public district union to receive incentive bonuses for improved test scores and other performance criteria. This provision was agreed to in exchange for using $31 million of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million matching grant to erase teacher back pay.

Teachers surveyed in 2015, however, said that the "revolutionary" performance merit pay was not fairly implemented.

East Orange School District: The question over the new George Washington Carver Institute of Science and Technology Elementary School's opening is a matter of when instead of if.

The new building, under construction since the old Columbian School/original GWC Institute building was levelled March 27, 2018, appears to be getting finishing touches from design-build general contractor Dobco, of Wayne, and STV Construction, of New York.

The 77,000 square foot building on Springdale Avenue and North Grove Street's southeast corner, after $41.2 million, includes 24 classrooms, two special education classrooms, a media center/library, an auditorium, a "multipurpose room with a stage," a cafeteria, a music room and support space.

A call to the GWC Institute's main office Aug. 27, however, was returned with a "no opening date set" response. Its 470 pre-Kindergarten-Fifth Grade students will report to 135 Glenwood Ave. for the time being.

Orange Public Schools: Dr. Gerald Fitzhugh II may be making all 11 Orange schools, including the STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges in South Orange, Sept. 3. That Tuesday is to include the now-traditional 8:30 a.m. Superintendent's Forum at the Orange Preparatory Academy.

The Orange Board of Education selected Fitzhugh to succeed Ronald C. Lee, who retired. Fitzhugh is familiar to the NPS community for his 19 years' service before resigning as Deputy Superintendent there June 30.

West Orange Public Schools: Most of WOPS's people and infrastructure are in place - except for one facility that is supported by blown air.

Newly-hired Superintendent of Schools Dr. J. Scott Cascone, in his Aug. 27 Welcome Message, is leading 38 new certified staff members into township schools. They and returning teachers are under a new three-year contract signed last March. Maschio's Food Services, of Chester, is WOPS's new food vendor.

The big question, however, is when will the West Orange High School "athletic bubble' be ready for football and other fall sports practice. It appears that an impasse between contractor GL Groupe and bubble provider Airzone had led to the structure being set up in March but not yet open. Scholar-athletes have been working out in a small part of the bubble and the Liberty Middle School weight room for the summer.

South Orange-Maplewood School District: Incoming Superintendent Ronald G. Taylor has been wrestling with some thorny personnel issues since his July 1 arrival.

Taylor and the district attorney are working on a response to SOMA Black Parents Workshop's filing a court injunction to keep the current Maplewood Middle School principal in place. The 2019-19 SOMSD Board of Education, over Interim Superintendent Thomas Ficarra's recommendation, accepted the principal's resignation letter as part of transferring her to another school.

Taylor has also heard from Montrose early Childhood Learning Center parents who were discontent from the laying off of several school aides as an economy.

Taylor announced that the district will have a full Amistad and Holocaust studies curriculum in place for 2019-20.

Montclair Public Schools: Two of Montclair High School main building's four staircases will reopen, after nearly a year's repair, Sept. 5. The two staircases, facing the 1914 building's Midland Avenue and Park Street, entrances, will allow students and faculty to reassess MHS's second and third floors.

Those four staircases were closed when one of the flights collapsed Sept. 7, 2018. Classes resumed on a modified schedule in the auditorium, cafeteria and other common spaces until portable classrooms were installed in the early spring. Reconstructing all four staircases is to cost $2 million.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Nathan Parker and latest Board of Education member Sergio Gonzalez may be present at MHS and other schools that Thursday to greet students.

Parker, who was Orange's schools' super 2004-09, was hired by the board while they determine how best to find a permanent superintendent. His is the fourth super, and the third interim, in the last five years.

Mayor Robert Jackson appointed Gonzalez to succeed Laura Hertzog, who resigned as Board President in May. The Rutgers marine science bachelor and Fordham MBA degree holder is a Dell executive who has lived here since 2019.

Gonzalez's term runs Sept. 1-April 30, 2021. Montclair and East Orange have mayor-appointed school boards.

Glen Ridge Public Schools: The borough's Central School reopening is also a question of when and not if.

Superintendent Dirk Phillips had set a September 2019 target date after the school board bought the 1920s building from Well Fargo for $5.1 million in March 2018. There was, however, a court case over a urology lab's 12-year lease that had to be first settled.

The Central School, first opened as an elementary school until the mid-1980s. The then Board of Education, citing declining enrollment, sold it to then-First/Nation/Wachovia bank. It is presumed that children from nearby Ridgewood Avenue and Linden elementary schools will fill the old/new Central School.

Nutley Public School District: Modular classrooms have been installed on the lawns of Spring Garden and Washington elementary schools for $1.1 million. The 2018-19 Board of Education, stung by two straight years of school construction bond failures at the voting booth, brought in the trailers to deal with building overcrowding.

NEWARK GETTING $120 MILLION FROM ESSEX COUNTY TO FIX LEAD WATER LINES

NEWARK - Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced a partnership with Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday, August 26th to fund the complete replacement of lead pipes in the City’s water distribution system.

According to the agreement, the Essex County Improvement Authority will assist Newark in financing $120 million, which will enable the city to expedite the replacement of lead water pipes connecting the water main to individual properties.

“Water testing is being done, the use of filters is being recommended and the chemical balance of the water is being checked. The one constant throughout this challenge has been the fact that the one agreed upon long-term solution to address the presence of lead in the drinking water is to replace lead water pipes leading from the water main to individual properties,” DiVincenzo said. “The partnership we are entering into will provide Newark with the needed money to replace every lead water service pipe so this problem can be eliminated sooner rather than later,” he added.

“Although we are all working hard to address the near-term priorities of providing bottled water and implementing a corrosion control system, we are also clearly focusing on the long-term solutions, including replacing aging water infrastructure,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “I thank County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, Mayor Ras Baraka, Freeholder President Brendan Gill and all Essex County officials for their continued dedication to tackling our current lead challenges in partnership with the State of New Jersey and the EPA,” he added.

DiVincenzo offered the use of the ECIA’s borrowing power to Baraka because of Essex County’s Aaa rating. This will enable Newark to borrow funds at considerably lower interest rates without further burdening the City’s ability to fund future capital improvement projects.

“Through our conservative budgeting practices and the recurring revenue we have been receiving, we earned a Aaa rating for the first time in Essex County’s history. This assistance would not have been possible five, 10 or 15 years ago because of the financial pressures we were experiencing at the County level,” the County Executive said. “The Aaa bond rating is an obscure achievement to the public, but today clearly demonstrates why it is so important. Because of our fiscal health, we are able to pass along significant financial savings to Newark and help modernize its water system so all residents - pregnant mothers, babies, seniors and the infirm included - have safer water to drink. This challenge was too important to ignore and I am happy that Essex is able to help,” he added.

“Newark is tackling a decades-old issue with a $120 million investment to quickly replace every lead service line in our community and permanently solve this infrastructure challenge once and for all,” Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said. “We are committed to modernizing our infrastructure so that every Newark resident has access to clean, safe drinking water. I want to thank Essex County Executive DiVincenzo and Governor Murphy for their steadfast support and commitment to helping us address this issue,” he added.

Using funding from the State, Newark was able to begin the first phase of a 10-year program to replace lead water service pipes in March 2019. There are about 18,000 properties where lead service pipes need to be replaced. To date, the pipes at approximately 700 properties have been replaced. Getting the $120 million up front will enable the City to award contracts more quickly and to multiple contractors simultaneously, with the expectation that the entire job could be completed within 24 to 30 months instead of being prolonged over a decade.

The proposed agreement will be presented to the Essex County Board of Freeholders, Newark City Council and the ECIA Board of Commissioners for their review. Each body has scheduled special meetings tomorrow (Tuesday, August 27th) to consider the proposal. If approved, the money should be available to Newark later this fall.

DiVincenzo also announced that the same terms of this loan program have been extended to the municipalities of Bloomfield, Belleville and Nutley, which purchase water from Newark for sections of their communities.

PROLIFIC FILM AND LITERARY CRITIC KAM WILLIAMS DIES

PRINCETON - It is with great sadness that “Local Talk” says goodbye to one of our closest friends, who kept our readers informed and entertained for years.

Over the past two decades, film and literary critic Kam Williams published nearly ten thousand articles and reviews.

Throughout his nearly 22-year career as a writer, he was most known for his film reviews and celebrity interviews for websites such as RottenTomatoes.com and over 100 publications around the world, ranging from local papers like Princeton, NJ’s Town Topics to international news chain Metro.

A prolific journalist, he also wrote countless book reviews, editorials and a novel that will be published posthumously later this year.

Mr. Williams, who was a resident of Princeton, NJ, died Thursday, May 30 from prostate cancer. He was 66 years old.

Born Lloyd Joseph Williams in New York City and raised in St. Albans, Queens, Mr. Williams was commonly referred to as “Kam,” a nickname short for “Kamau,” a name given to him while he was a student at Brown University, by famed Jazz musician Sun Ra.

Mr. Williams’ path to a career in writing was circuitous. He was a graduate of Brooklyn Tech High School in New York City and earned his Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Black Literature in 1974. While receiving his Master’s in English from Brown University in 1975, he first attempted a career in screenwriting at Chicago’s WTTW, a PBS affiliate TV station.

However, Mr. Williams, had a diverse set of interests and diverted his attention from writing for business and entertainment law, receiving his J.D. from Boston University in 1978 (along with Bar membership in MA, PA, CT, NY and NJ) followed by an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1980.

Mr. Williams’ first wife, the late Kristina Barbara Johnson (who had previously been married to sculptor J. Seward Johnson II, the grandson of Johnson & Johnson Co-Founder Robert Wood Johnson I) introduced him to art dealing and the antique business in which he subsequently deployed his corporate and legal knowledge for over a decade.

Mr. Williams had a colorful personality and a commanding presence, according to friends and family. He was a tall African American man with freckles and wore his bright-red hair in a large Afro hairstyle that was immediately noticeable in a crowd.

His diverse life experiences and base of knowledge (he was a polymath who read a book a week) made him a compelling conversationalist and lead to a brief but recurring guest appearance on the radio show, The Howard Stern Show.

It was that experience that later sparked his career in journalism when a family friend and writer at the Princeton Packet, a local newspaper in his hometown Princeton, NJ, recommended Mr. Williams write a film review of Howard Stern’s 1997 biographical film “Private Parts.”

Mr. Williams’ intense work ethic and glowing journalistic reputation lead to extensive work interviewing celebrities associated with upcoming film and book releases, including Quentin Tarantino, Denzel Washington, Mel Brooks, Russell Simmons, LeBron James and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, among many others.

Mr. Williams was also a staunch supporter of civil rights-related causes, publishing countless Op-Eds on the topic and later joined the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee.

Outside of his writing career, he had a deep passion for music and boasted a large collection of albums. He enjoyed long daily walks in nature, was an avid sports fan and a passionate Little League baseball coach. He was also an enthusiastic participant in weekly trivia nights with a large group of friends at a local bar in Princeton, NJ.

“He was one of the first people who gave me the motivation to write my own novel,” said "Local Talk" Content Editor Kristopher Seals. “Anytime you needed advice, he was always happy to give it to you. Rest in Power, Kam.”

He is survived by many friends, four siblings (Lawrence, Daryl, Teresa and Rod) and his 2nd wife of 25 years, Susan, and stepson, Nicholas.

A memorial service will be held at the Princeton Garden Theater on June 29.

NINE LOCAL NAMES ON SCOUTS' "PERVERSION LIST"

By Walter Elliott

NEWARK - Various legal firms in and around the "Local Talk News" area have been posting names and details of the contents of Scouting's Ineligible Volunteer File's "Perversion File" folder since their April 23 release.

Attorneys Jeff Anderson and Greg Gianforcaro, for example, came from their respective Minneapolis and Phillipsburg practices to hold a press conference here at the Courtyard by Marriott downtown to reveal some of the 7,819 scout leaders' names nationwide who are in Scouting's IV Perversion File.

Nine of those leaders served 11 packs, troops or posts in East Orange, Maplewood, Newark and/or Nutley.

Reading the file's documents, correspondence and newspaper clippings may trigger a reader's recollections - which is the reason for Anderson and Gianforcaro's Tuesday conference.

They and other legal firms who have posted the material on their websites are looking for other victims of other Scouting leaders - on or not on the list - to come forward.

The lawyers said they were aware of Scouting's list since 2012.

The Boy Scouts of America, founded Feb. 8, 1910, has kept an internal IV list since 1920. That list included the name of those people who were accused and/or convicted of financial, leadership, criminal, theft, moral and/or perversion offenses.

The BSA kept that list while headquartered in East Brunswick and in its present Irving, Texas, location. A federal court order has prompted its release.

The file's release and attorneys' posting comes after the state relaxed a statute of limitation on reporting sexual assault or abuse in March. The amendment, which Gov. Phil Murphy signed, allows sex crime victims to sue individuals and/or institutions in civil court until either they reached 55 years old or up to seven years after "making a discovery" linking the abuse to emotional or psychological injury.

The file's publication may be similar to the Feb. 19 release by various Roman Catholic dioceses and archdioceses in method and objective. Both institutions are declaring "Here's who we have on file - and they will never harm anyone again."

"We believe victims, we support them and we have paid for unlimited counseling by a provider of their choice," said Scouting in an April 22 apology letter. "Nothing's more important that the safety and protection of children in Scouting. We're outraged that there have been times where individuals took advantage of our programs to abuse innocent children."

The attorneys' April 23 response: Scouting has not done enough.

"The minimize, they deny and sometimes they blame others," said Anderson in the late lunch hour conference. "Our hope is that kids are protected better, that survivors are given a voice and that those who are responsible are held accountable for their actions."

Survivor advocates Mark Crawford and Janet Warren flanked Anderson and Gianforcaro that Tuesday afternoon. Crawford talked about his abuse while growing up in Bayonne. Warren, who was victimized in Brooklyn, testified for Anderson's client about abuse in a Minneapolis theater.

Anderson told "Local Talk" that there may be more victims from adjacent towns, given that Scouting has loosened its "hometown" pack, troop and post membership requirement. Some of the said groups, over the years, may have moved, merged or disbanded.

The pack, troop and post's sponsors were advised of the allegations, suspensions and/or convictions somewhere in the reporting process. Some sponsors include churches who also hosted meetings and activities.

The following accounts are from Scouting's files. "Local Talk" knows of one named abuser having died in 2000 but not the status of the other local eight. Nor does "Local Talk" know if all of the file's cases were brought to trial.

The deceased name belongs to Fr. Richard M. Galdon, whose Funeral Mass was held July 2, 2000 in Bayonne's St. Vincent de Paul Church. He died while at a church-approved Jemez Springs, N.M. treatment facility.

Galdon was ordained here in 1959 and served our Lady of Good Counsel for 27 years before resigning in 1986. He resigned to start serving a 25-year prison term in the state's Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenel Oct. 28, 1987.

Galdon, on March 4, 1987, plead guilty to sexual assault of one boy and sexual contact of two others. He confessed that he engaged in relations while playing strip card games or while watching television 1980-83.

The ex-priest also confessed to having assaulted children for 17 years. Ten of those years was while as chaplain for Troops 18 and 35. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office dropped 12 other charges he was indicted on in exchange for the plea.

A contemporary newspaper report said that Galdon was a friend of Arnold Edward Codispoti.

Codispoti, 45, was a 19-year Essex County Police sergeant who was also scoutmaster for Cedar Grove Troop 65, adviser for Newark's Essex County Government Services Explorer Post 654 and was on the BSA Essex Council's Executive Board in Orange or Newark. The Vietnam War veteran was once named "Policeman of the Year" for his Scouting work, including running the Essex Council's Order of the Arrow program.

Codispoti was arrested in the county police headquarters and held on $1 million bail Dec. 20, 1984. A county grand jury indicted him on 45 counts of sexual assault and child endangerment. He pleaded guilty to 29 of those counts for a 25 year sentence in Avenel in February 1986.

Codispoti confessed to abusing eight different boys, 11-to-15-years-old, 1981-83. He would take them to his home in Cedar Grove, the Essex County Police Academy and/or on campouts in Roseland or Oakland. Codispoti served alcohol before abusing them.

Pasquale Joseph Bartiromo was arrested by Newark police on two charges of child molestation July 31, 1974. He had been an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 62 here 1981-82.

The same FBI charge record sheet found in his BSA IV file included arrests for possessing stolen property, arson and making a false bomb threat in Newark or Harrison in the 1960s. He served four months in Caldwell's Essex County Jail on the possession charge in 1969.

The Essex Council refused Bartiromo's renewal applications in 1986.

Peter Kistner was accused by a member of Robert Treat Cub Pack 529 of molesting him Feb. 13, 1991.

The boy said that Kistner had him sit on his lap to help steer the car on their way home to his home in Irvington. He said that the assistant cubmaster slid beneath him while driving.

An internal Essex Council investigation resulted in Kistner's "removing based on our right to uphold the privilege of membership" Feb. 28, 1991.

Prosecutors, based on several victims' testimonies, accused Sileo and Abdiwan of luring 35 local boys and girls, 15-to-17-years-old, with drugs and alcohol to the former's place 1981-83. They would whip, beat and burn their victims and make them act like dogs.

One girl testified at "I realized we were becoming a cult."

Three of the victims were Abdiwan and Sileo's scouts.

BSA's Tamarak Council in Lyndhurst had long suspended the duo when a grand jury indicted each of them June 1, 1984 on two counts of sexual assault plus child endangerment. Abdiwan's Eagle Scout award would be deleted from Scouting's records.

Abdiwan, who pleaded guilty June 7, 1984 to two sex abuse counts, was placed on probation. Sileo, who pleaded to two sex assault charges, served an up to 10-year prison term.

East Orange resident Alexander John Gooding's fall from Troop 6's grace began when a scout called the assistant scoutmaster "a queer" during a troop "rap" session at East Orange's Church at the Crossroads in May 1972.

The boy, on June 7, 1972, told other Troop 6 and church leadership plus Orange City Commissioner Frank Hayes that Gooding had him share a sleeping back with him naked during an earlier campout.

BSA's South Mountain Council, then of Orange, promptly revoked Gooding's Scouting registration and placed him in their IV file. Troop 6 was registered in Orange and was sponsored by Church of the Crossroads.

A second East Orange man, Paul Kenneth Stokes, had his membership with Essex Council's Troop 1008 put on 1978-79 probation when a July 29, 1967 incident at Camp Ken-Etiwa-Peo was retrieved from the IV file.

A 13-year-old scout told other Troop 114 leadership that Provisional Scoutmaster Stokes had masturbated him under his shorts the night before. Stokes, who initially denied the account, let the camp voluntarily. His 1967-68 registration was revoked.

The Essex Council had also pulled Maplewood Troop 2 assistant scoutmaster Steven Michael Ripley's card June 7, 1984 just after he was indicted on a count each of sexual assault and sexual contact.

Ripley, according to court and BSA records, was accused of touching a 16-year-old boy's genitals sometime between Jan. 1 and May 31, 1983. He would plead guilty to the first count May 8, 1985, serve 364 days in the county jail and four years' work release probation.